2011 Lotus Exige Coupe

Benefits of Driving a 2011 Lotus Exige Coupe

Closely related to the Elise roadster, the Lotus Exige S is a solid-roof racing-oriented sports car that shines on the track, with excellent grip, handling, braking and overall athletic ability--along with straight-line acceleration that's on par with much more expensive exotics. It's very much a street legal race car with few compromises. That means all but a small group of enthusiasts will be deterred from everyday driving. Considering that--and the Exige's very cramped interior quarters--very few will end up in driveways but more than a few will do plenty of weekend track time.

What's new for 2011?

For 2011, Lotus has produced two limited edition Exiges; the Exige Matte Black Final Edition and the Exige S260 Final Edition. Both are powered by the 257-horsepower supercharged 4-cylinder from the S260 and both feature a high level of standard equipment. The Matte Black edition has special Alcantara sports seats and is of course available in only one color. Only 25 Matte Black and 30 S260 Final Editions will be produced making both models instant collectables.

Model Strengths

Agility and sheer grip
astonishing straight-line acceleration
race-ready yet street-legal

Model Review

Standard Exiges come in two variants-the Exige S240 makes 240 horsepower, while the Exige S260 makes almost that--257 hp. Both models use a 1.8L supercharged Toyota-sourced 4-cylinder engine, mounted in back, with a 6-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive.

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